Madrid Open tennis: Jessica Pegula speaks out over sexist muzzling of female stars
Female tennis stars have slammed a decision by Madrid Open organisers that left players upset and capped off a tournament full of sexism allegations.
The organisers of the Madrid Open have come in for further criticism after the world No.3 Jessica Pegula questioned the decision to censor the women’s doubles finalists on Sunday.
Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Pegula and Coco Gauff in straight sets but the match was overshadowed by the controversy that followed when no microphone was made available for the traditional speeches.
While the tournament has refused to give any explanation, it appears to have been in retaliation for a series of comments made by female players during the week.
Azarenka had earlier questioned the equality of the treatment given to women and men, while the singles runner-up Iga Swiatek had criticised late-night scheduling during her speech in front of the tournament director, Feliciano Lopez.
Asked for a statement on the decision not to have speeches, a spokesman for the Madrid Open replied: “For the time being, the tournament will not comment on the matter.”
Pegula, 29, said that the failure to provide microphones for the speeches was “really disappointing”.
“Did I think we were not going to be able to speak? No, I’ve never heard of that in my life,” she added.
“Even in a 10k Challenger final [a lesser competition] you would speak.
“I don’t know what century everyone was living in when they made that decision or how they actually had a conversation and decided, ‘Wow, this is a great decision and there’s going to be no backlash against this.’
“It spoke for itself. We were upset when it happened and told during the trophy ceremony we weren’t able to speak. It kind of proved a point.”
Pegula’s doubles partner Gauff, 19, revealed that the organisers had apologised.
“I was told it was a situation that didn’t involve me that happened,” she said.
“I said that situation for me was not deep enough to not have a trophy ceremony. I think that we worked hard to get to that final.
“It’s not about the speech. I have [played in] a lot of finals, so it’s not about that. It’s more about the principle behind it, so this can’t happen again for future girls, taking the opportunity away from them.”
It is the latest in a series of sexism accusations that have marred one of the most prestigious tournaments outside the four grand-slam events.
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The introduction of crop tops and pleated skirts for ball girls was described by the Spanish Association for Women in Professional Sport as a form of “sexist violence”.
The outfits were changed before the men’s singles final.
“There seemed to be a lot of drama in Madrid this year on a variety of different things,” Pegula, a member of the WTA’s player council, said. “There was just a build-up of a lot of tension. I’m hoping that out of what happened . . . we can come to some sort of decision-making process where we can start preparing for next year. These problems cannot happen again.”
Originally published as Madrid Open tennis: Jessica Pegula speaks out over sexist muzzling of female stars
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